Reed College vs Williams College

Reed College and Williams College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Reed, located in Portland, Oregon, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 38%, while Williams, nestled in Williamstown, Massachusetts, maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 42%. In terms of student body demographics, Reed's student population is more diverse, with 48% identifying as students of color compared to Williams' 38%. Both colleges excel in academics, with Reed being known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences, while Williams is recognized for its prowess in the natural sciences and mathematics. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Reed College	Williams College
Overview
Location	Portland, Oregon	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	43.8%	8.8%
Application fees	$75	$65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	7,010	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	3,071	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	502	574
Yield rate	16.3%	52.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,020	$78,060
Average net price	$33,056	$14,487
Tuition	$62,420	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $7,510	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $43,945	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $4,374	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $19,335	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,548 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	18 Men 61.1% Women 38.9%	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	88.7%	N/A
International students	8.8%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,113	2,045
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington New York Colorado	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Psychology	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.7%	93.8%
Dropout rate	8.2%	3.1%
Transferred out	17.8%	1.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,088 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,874 Year 3: $23,169 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,125 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Reed College vs Williams College

Reed College

Williams College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About